Office 2007 "Ribbons"

[MB]

I am very unhappy using Office 2007 Word and Excel. The ribbons are
ridiculous and extemely more cumbersome and less efficient than the toolbars
in Office 97.

Why such a change that makes your products more difficult to use.

Is there any way that I can buy and use Office 97? I would be very happy to
go back to it!

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[Ben M. Schorr - MVP (OneNote)]

Some people think the ribbons are easier to use. But, like my
grandfather once said, "We can't all like the same things; otherwise
everybody'd be after your grandma."

If you really want to go back to the old Toolbars you have a couple of
options:

1. Buy Office 2003 on eBay or somewhere like that.

2. There are a few utilities out there that claim to add the old toolbar
interface back into Office 2007. I've never used any of them so I can't
recommend one, but...Google is your friend.

--
-Ben-
Ben M. Schorr, MVP
Roland Schorr & Tower
http://www.rolandschorr.com
http://www.officeforlawyers.com
Author - The Lawyer's Guide to Microsoft Outlook 2007:
http://tinyurl.com/5m3f5q

 

[Gordon]

I am very unhappy using Office 2007 Word and Excel. The ribbons are
ridiculous and extemely more cumbersome and less efficient than the
toolbars
in Office 97.

Not at all. Put your frequently-used commands and functions on the Quick
Access Toolbar

Why such a change that makes your products more difficult to use.

Is there any way that I can buy and use Office 97? I would be very happy
to
go back to it!

Well if that's the last version of Office you used, I'm not surprised you
find the 3rd version AFTER that difficult to use.....
Try Open Office. ANYTHING is better than Office 97....

 

[Echo S]

Some people think the ribbons are easier to use. But, like my grandfather
once said, "We can't all like the same things; otherwise everybody'd be
after your grandma."

LOL! I like your grandpa.

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

Some people think the ribbons are easier to use. But, like my
grandfather once said, "We can't all like the same things; otherwise
everybody'd be after your grandma."

Your grandpa might've inspired this then:

http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/r/ry_cooder/look_at_granny_run_run.html

 

[Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]]

Ah, another Ry Cooder fan!

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact.
ALWAYS post your Outlook version.
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375


After furious head scratching, Steve Rindsberg asked:

| In article <[email protected]>, Ben M. Schorr -
| MVP (OneNote) wrote:
|| Some people think the ribbons are easier to use. But, like my
|| grandfather once said, "We can't all like the same things; otherwise
|| everybody'd be after your grandma."
|
| Your grandpa might've inspired this then:
|
| http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/r/ry_cooder/look_at_granny_run_run.html

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

Ah, another Ry Cooder fan!

Bigtime!

 

[PHDinCT]

Office 97 was learned by MILLIONS of users from 1997 - 2007 - we know it and
understand it and can use it. Now the MS designers who need to make some $ to
keep stock value up after Vista tanks are told by Mgmnt to design "something
new that users will have to accept so we can charge them" - VIOLA - Office
2007 - as screwed up a suite as you could want.

"Ribbons?...ribbons?!....we don't need no stinkin ribbons!"
Just give us a wp and spreadsheet program WE can USE and design the way WE
want it, not the way some designer/programmer geek who thinks all PC users
are dense and need pretty "Ribbons" to show us the way...GIMME A BREAK!

 

[Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]]

If you don't like Office 2007, then stick with the version that you like.
You tried the trial, did not like it, and that is fine.

The rest of us have moved on and the majority of users who have been using
Office 2007 for any period of time will all attest to the ease of discovery
of previously hidden features.

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact.
ALWAYS post your Outlook version.
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375


After furious head scratching, PHDinCT asked:

| Office 97 was learned by MILLIONS of users from 1997 - 2007 - we know
| it and understand it and can use it. Now the MS designers who need to
| make some $ to keep stock value up after Vista tanks are told by
| Mgmnt to design "something new that users will have to accept so we
| can charge them" - VIOLA - Office 2007 - as screwed up a suite as you
| could want.
|
| "Ribbons?...ribbons?!....we don't need no stinkin ribbons!"
| Just give us a wp and spreadsheet program WE can USE and design the
| way WE want it, not the way some designer/programmer geek who thinks
| all PC users are dense and need pretty "Ribbons" to show us the
| way...GIMME A BREAK!
|
| "Gordon" wrote:
|
|| ||| I am very unhappy using Office 2007 Word and Excel. The ribbons are
||| ridiculous and extemely more cumbersome and less efficient than the
||| toolbars
||| in Office 97.
||
|| Not at all. Put your frequently-used commands and functions on the
|| Quick Access Toolbar
||
||| Why such a change that makes your products more difficult to use.
|||
||| Is there any way that I can buy and use Office 97? I would be very
||| happy to
||| go back to it!
||
|| Well if that's the last version of Office you used, I'm not
|| surprised you find the 3rd version AFTER that difficult to use.....
|| Try Open Office. ANYTHING is better than Office 97....
||
||
|| --
|| Asking a question?
|| Please tell us the version of the application you are asking about,
|| your OS, Service Pack level
|| and the FULL contents of any error message(s)

 

[Gordon]

Office 97 was learned by MILLIONS of users from 1997 - 2007 - we know it
and
understand it and can use it.

Err no. It wsn't LEARNED by users. They learned "pointy-click".

Now the MS designers who need to make some $ to
keep stock value up after Vista tanks are told by Mgmnt to design
"something
new that users will have to accept so we can charge them" - VIOLA - Office
2007 - as screwed up a suite as you could want.

ANYONE who has even a MODICUM of application skills will easily and quickly
get to use all the functions they used to use in prior versions.

Take a look here:
http://blogs.msdn.com/jensenh/archive/2008/03/12/the-story-of-the-ribbon.aspx

 

[Martin C]

If you don't like Office 2007, then stick with the version that you like.
You tried the trial, did not like it, and that is fine.

The rest of us have moved on and the majority of users who have been using
Office 2007 for any period of time will all attest to the ease of
discovery
of previously hidden features.

Actually, that is not the case. Sure you can stick with Office 2003 (or
prior release) ad nausium, but eventually you will have to upgrade to 2007
(or future upgrades which will probably also have the 'ribbon'). Personally,
I am dreading the date when my company upgrades their Office suite to 2007.
They intend holding off for as long as practical because they have
recognised that it will be a big learning curve for everyone to use the
applications. That, I think, has to say something. Our company clearly does
not believe that it makes things easier. The new file formats don't help the
situation either!

It seems that the ribbon is not as intuitive as MS like to think. The number
of times I have had neighbours ask me how to do something in Office 2007
after updating from 2003 is ridiculous. Answering one of their questions was
the first time I had come across 2007 and I could not believe that I could
not find the Print Preview in Word 2007, but had to add it manually after a
lot of hunting. And I consider myself very adept in Office 2003 - as my work
colleagues will agree.

This is just my personal opinion, but I believe that 2007 is very good for
those that have little or no experience in Office, but if you are good, or a
power user, in an earlier version, you will hate it. That is not to say that
2007 does not have some very good features, because it has. However, these
are not sufficient to overcome the downsides that I see.

One of my neighbours has gone back to 2003, while the other is still trying
to struggle with 2007. The fact they have to struggle demonstrates that it
is not an easy transition. They have lost the ability to customise the
toolbar. They have to stick with what MS wants - something I also disagree
with. I heavily customise my toolbars to give me *exactly* what I want. Sure
there is the ability to add some of your own icons to the custom launch bar
(or whatever it is called), but it is limited. I am certainly not going to
upgrade until I have no choice.

Just my 2p worth.

Martin

 

[Gordon]

I could not believe that I could not find the Print Preview in Word 2007,
but had to add it manually

Err nor can I. Office Button-Print-Print Preview. Very well hidden.....

 

[Martin C]

Err nor can I. Office Button-Print-Print Preview. Very well hidden.....


--
Asking a question?
Please tell us the version of the application you are asking about,
your OS, Service Pack level
and the FULL contents of any error message(s)

Agreed.

Once you appreciate that the office button has more under it. The 'office'
button in earlier versions only gives you items such as
Restore/Size/Move/Minimize etc.

What I was getting at is that the print preview is possibly one of the most
used features, but is 'hidden'. The ribbon was supposed to make the more
often used items easily accessible.

As I said, I am not having a go at the Ribbon per say, but such things as
the print preview - and the inability to customise to any real extent - is a
reason that lots do not like it. I am sure that if I spent more time on it I
would get used to it and find all the things I want again, but why restrict
what I can do with it. I have not had any real time to play with it, but can
you turn off the ribbon and go back to your own customisation?

Another reason I don't like it is that it takes up far more real estate than
I would like. I do not want a lot of the screen devoted to it when I can get
everything I need in 2 of the normal toolbar rows. With a widescreen
monitor, I only need one row. Again, a relatively minor point, but yet
another reason I do not want to move to 2007.

This is all my own opinion. I am not advocating not to use it, but am
expanding on the OP comments on why it was not liked.

Personally I use keyboard shortcuts to a great extent, so a lot of the
problems are negated. The fact that others are having to ask me how to do
things that should be easy goes against it. Presumably you have had more
experience with it. With the same experience I would also have no problems,
other than the ones I have outlined above.

 

[Bob I]

Err nor can I. Office Button-Print-Print Preview. Very well hidden.....

All the whining by self proclaimed "expert users" just amazes me. They
go on and on about this and that and the other. But it seems the "F1"
and Alt+"letter" was never learned by them. Well at least the whining
about the "Office shortcut bar" has stopped. <big grin>

 

[Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]]

Funny - I added the Print Preview button to my QAT and it is there at my
fingertips.

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact.
ALWAYS post your Outlook version.
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375


After furious head scratching, Martin C asked:

| || ||
||| I could not believe that I could not find the Print Preview in Word
||| 2007, but had to add it manually
||
|| Err nor can I. Office Button-Print-Print Preview. Very well
|| hidden.....
||
||
|| --
|| Asking a question?
|| Please tell us the version of the application you are asking about,
|| your OS, Service Pack level
|| and the FULL contents of any error message(s)
|
| Agreed.
|
| Once you appreciate that the office button has more under it. The
| 'office' button in earlier versions only gives you items such as
| Restore/Size/Move/Minimize etc.
|
| What I was getting at is that the print preview is possibly one of
| the most used features, but is 'hidden'. The ribbon was supposed to
| make the more often used items easily accessible.
|
| As I said, I am not having a go at the Ribbon per say, but such
| things as the print preview - and the inability to customise to any
| real extent - is a reason that lots do not like it. I am sure that if
| I spent more time on it I would get used to it and find all the
| things I want again, but why restrict what I can do with it. I have
| not had any real time to play with it, but can you turn off the
| ribbon and go back to your own customisation?
|
| Another reason I don't like it is that it takes up far more real
| estate than I would like. I do not want a lot of the screen devoted
| to it when I can get everything I need in 2 of the normal toolbar
| rows. With a widescreen monitor, I only need one row. Again, a
| relatively minor point, but yet another reason I do not want to move
| to 2007.
|
| This is all my own opinion. I am not advocating not to use it, but am
| expanding on the OP comments on why it was not liked.
|
| Personally I use keyboard shortcuts to a great extent, so a lot of the
| problems are negated. The fact that others are having to ask me how
| to do things that should be easy goes against it. Presumably you have
| had more experience with it. With the same experience I would also
| have no problems, other than the ones I have outlined above.

 

[StargateFan]

Err nor can I. Office Button-Print-Print Preview. Very well hidden.....

You guys are missing the point taking potshots at people having
difficulties with the new ribbon. I don't like the new ribbon either
and not just for the usual reasons, but for one that surprises you
geeks: tremendous loss of speed. I'll never have the speed on the
ribbon that I do on my customized toolbar that has one mouse click
access to everything I use most frequently since it evolved over the
years to be a very efficient system. Oh sure, there's the QAT but
it's a pale ghost to what someone who bothered to figure out how to
customize the Office apps as I did could do in the older Office
suites. Not only that but I was able to easily standardize my icons
between applications, too, such as using WordPerfect icons in Word and
Word icons in WordPerfect till the interfaces are quite similar and
using all the identical icons in Excel, too, etc. Switching back and
forth between any apps on my system is much less confusing as the
icons that do the same job are the same. Plus I of course added
scripts to the toolbars with custom icons.

The QAT is a small step in the right direction to how we could
customize our toolbars before, but it lacks the complete flexibility
of the classic menus that required very little for many of us to learn
and customize. And it's a simple xlb file that I carried around for
nearly a decade on diskettes until I moved through various USB flash
drives till now I carry around a lot more than my default toolbars on
an 8 gig one.

And I became adept long ago to be up and running with my default
toolbars in less than 5 minutes. AutoIt scripts allow me to quickly
get to the pertinent folders and it's a simple copy-paste, etc.
Recognizable interfaces wherever I go! Or should I say, went!!!

Sure, we'll get used to the new ribbon, but until we can customize
then carry around our default "toolbar"-like ribbon files, it just
ain't gonna come close to the speed! And it will take a heck of a lot
more skill, too. I've done some rudimentary XML editing, etc., and it
sure as heck isn't as easy as the old toolbar system.

Engineers designed this ribbon. They don't live with the hassles of
day-to-day contact with users who have little to no abilities in
dealing with these types of issues. I may be a minor player here in
these ngs, but in the corporate world, I'm leaps and bounds ahead of
everyone else and they very quickly learn they can come to me for
answers. Yet I can honestly say that MS really bungled with this
move. I have yet to speak with anyone that likes 2007. First thing I
was asked in the job interview yesterday re software was that if I was
familiar with 2007 because it and the ribbons stank!!! Imagine that.

I'll adapt. But how many people will? I can still remember teaching
a manager a few short years ago how to save files on their computer.
So many don't know rudimentary skills such as this. I shudder to
think how these types of people will adapt to the new office. Perhaps
they'll retire before then.

The new kids, well sure. They'll love it. But we're still around and
MS has made a lot of people's lives very difficult with this move.